Tumor Grade

Tumor grade is a way of classifying tumors based on certain features of their cells. It is directly linked to prognosis.

Using a microscope, a pathologist studies the tumor tissue removed during a biopsy to check:

How much the cancer cells look like normal cells (The more the cancer cells look like normal cells, the lower the tumor grade tends to be.)

How many of the cancer cells are in the process of dividing (The fewer the cancer cells that are in the process of dividing, the more likely it is the tumor is slow-growing, and therefore, the lower the tumor grade tends to be.)

Together, these two factors determine the tumor grade.

Tumor grades are usually classified as:

Grade 1. The tumor cells look the most like normal tissue and are slow-growing (well-differentiated).